Detachable covers for shirt collars and sleeves

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for the exposed edges of the folded collar and cuffs of a dress shirt can be mounted on the shirt to protect the shirt from being soiled at these areas of a dress shirt that are typically subjected to wear. The detachable protective covers are attached to the shirt by fastening devices that can include sticky hook and loop fasteners, sew on, soft and flexible, hook and loop fasteners, tack on pins, double sided fabric tape or magnets. The soiled protective covers can be removed from the shirt for cleaning, thus saving the shirt from wear and tear and extending the life of the dress shirt. The use of different colors or patterns of material on the protective covers, as opposed to the material of the underlying shirt, creates different appearances by using different protective covers on the same shirt.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to attachments and accessoriesfor clothing and, more particularly, to a device attachable to thecollar and the cuffs of a shirt or similar garment to keep the collarand cuffs clean with respect to oils and dirt from contact with theperson wearing the shirt and from the environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many shirts, particularly long sleeved dress shirts, have collars andsleeves that are subject to wear and tear, particularly where the shirtsmake their most contact with the body, which are typically the collarand the terminus of the sleeves. Damage to shirt collars and sleevesrange from mild to unwearable and this damage could happen after thefirst time of wearing the shirt or after a period of time. The oils anddirt collected from the environment and from the body of the personwearing the shirt can change the color of the collars and sleeves insome instances to yellow or even black stains. Typically, the stains onsleeves are less visible than the stains on collars. The wear and tearof the collars and sleeves of these shirts can result in the collarsripping away from the shirt. Dry cleaners often deal with these hard toremove stains around the collars and sleeves, which can cause somedifficulties as their customers expect the dry cleaners to remove thestains for the money they are paying. A solution to this collar andsleeve stain problem that will keep the collars and sleeves free fromaccumulating dirt, sweat and oils from the body would be desirable.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,314,381, issued on Jun. 11, 2019, to Joseph D. Silva,et al, discloses a removable collar cover formed of a circular, flatpiece of material that fits over the exterior of the wearer's shirtcollar to protect the exterior of the shirt collar from liquids and hairparticles while at the barber shop. This collar is reusable and isformed of soft silicone or latex material. Similarly, a larger clothingprotector is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,744, granted on Aug. 1, 2000,to Ramona F. Dibenedetto, et al, that is sized to tuck into the interiorof the collar and extend therefrom over the back of the wearer toprotect the customer's clothes from hair treatment liquids andchemicals.

In U.S. Pat. No. 9,332,788, granted to Kouros Jalveh on May 10, 2016, anattachable cover is disclosed for a shirt collar in which the cover isshaped like the shirt collar but has an open side to form an envelopefor insertion of the shirt collar into the envelope. The Envelope-likecover has button holes and buttons at the end of the envelope opening tohelp secure the cover to the shirt collar. The circumference of thecover opening is also formed with elastic material to help close thecover around the collar. The Jalveh patent also discloses covers for thesleeve cuff that covers the outside surface of the sleeve cuff. Theshirt collar cover only covers the portion of the collar that projectsoutwardly from the shirt, which would correspond to the fold line of thecollar. Accordingly, the Jalveh shirt collar cover and sleeve cuff covercannot protect the interior surface of the shirt collar where the shirtcollar contacts the skin of the wearer. The Jalveh shirt collar cover islargely protective of the exterior surface of the shirt collar andsleeve cuff.

A different form of collar cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.2,182,486, granted to Louis Broder on Dec. 5, 1939. Like the Jalvehpatent, the Broder cover is formed like an envelope that receives theoutside ends of the shirt collar to encompass the entire exteriorportion of the shirt collar. The Broder shirt collar is connected atthree marginal portions of the edges of the envelope. Also, the Brodercover is reversible when soiled. Although the Brody cover does disclosea neck band that projects down the neck of the wearer from the foldededge of the collar cover to help secure the collar cover, the Brodercover is intended to protect the exterior surface of the shirt collar.

It would be desirable to provide a collar cover and a sleeve cover thatare easily mountable on a shirt and will protect the interior surface ofthe shirt collar and sleeve cuffs from dirt, liquids and oils,particularly from those areas of the body engaged by the collar andsleeve cuffs of a shirt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of theprior art by providing detachable shirt collar and shirt cuff protectivedevices.

It is another object of this invention to provide a protective devicefor the collar and cuffs of a dress shirt to protect the folded edges ofthe collar and cuffs from damage, wear and soiling.

It is a feature of this invention that the protective devices fold overthe edges of the collar and cuffs of a shirt and utilize a fasteningapparatus to secure the protective device in the operative position.

It is an advantage of this invention that the protective devices can beremoved from the shirt for cleaning.

It is another advantage of this invention that the detachable protectivedevices can be utilized on multiple shirts.

It is another feature of this invention that the use of a collar coverand cuff covers of a different color or pattern of material than thematerial of the underlying shirt establishes a different appearance forthe shirt.

It is still another advantage of this invention that the protectivecovers for the shirt collar and cuffs can extend the life of the shirtby preventing wear on the underlying edges of the shirt collar and shirtcuffs.

It is still another feature of this invention that the fasteningapparatus can be formed in a multiple of configurations, includingsticky hook and loop fasteners, sew on, soft and flexible, hook and loopfasteners, tack on pins, double sided fabric tape or magnets.

It is yet another feature of this invention that the use of hook andloop fastening apparatus requires the opposing hook and loop fasteningapparatus to be attached to appropriate locations on the shirt.

It is still another feature of this invention that the use of magnets asfastening apparatus enables the fastening apparatus to be carriedcompletely within the protective covers.

It is still another object of this invention to provide detachableprotective covers for the folded collar and cuff edges of a dress shirtto protect the exposed edges of the collar and cuffs from wear, damageand soiling from dirt and sweat.

These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished by theinstant invention by providing a protective cover for the exposed edgesof the folded collar and cuffs of a dress shirt. The detachableprotective covers are attached to the shirt by fastening devices thatcan include sticky hook and loop fasteners, sew on, soft and flexible,hook and loop fasteners, tack on pins, double sided fabric tape ormagnets. The soiled protective covers can be removed from the shirt forcleaning, thus saving the shirt from wear and tear and extending thelife of the dress shirt. The use of different colors or patterns ofmaterial on the protective covers, as opposed to the material of theunderlying shirt, creates different appearances by using differentprotective covers on the same shirt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration ofthe following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an unfolded collar coverincorporating the principles of the instant invention, showing theexterior side of the collar cover;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an unfolded sleeve cuff cover incorporating theprinciples of the instant invention for use on the left and rightsleeves of a long sleeved dress shirt showing the exterior side of thesleeve cuff cover;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an unfolded collar cover incorporating theprinciples of the instant invention and showing the interior side of thecollar cover;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an unfolded sleeve cuff cover for the left andright sleeves of a long sleeved dress shirt showing the interior side ofthe sleeve cuff cover;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a folded collar cover incorporating theprinciples of the instant invention, showing the exterior side of thecollar cover;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a folded sleeve cuff cover for the left andright sleeves of a long sleeved dress shirt showing the exterior side ofthe sleeve cuff cover;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a folded shirt collarincorporating the principles of the instant invention mounted on thecollar of a dress shirt;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sleeve cuff protected by a foldedsleeve cuff cover;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an upper portion of the inside of a dress shirtwith the collar unfolded away from the shirt to show an embodiment ofthe invention having fastening devices attached to the shirt in order tobe engaged by the fastening devices on the collar cover;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the exterior side of a shirt cuff splayedoutwardly to show an embodiment of the attachment of fastening devicesto the cuff for engagement by corresponding fastening devices on thecuff cover; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the interior side of a shirt cuff splayedoutwardly to show an embodiment of the attachment of fastening devicesto the cuff for engagement by corresponding fastening devices on thecuff cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1-11 , a shirt collar cover and a sleeve cuffcover incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best beseen. The collar cover 10 has an exterior side 12, shown in FIG. 1 thatis preferably formed from the same material as the shirt 1 on which thecollar cover 10 is to be mounted. The color or pattern of the materialon the exterior side 12 of the collar cover 10 may be different from theshirt 1, but is preferably of a fashionable color and pattern that willcoordinate with the shirt 1. The collar cover 10 has a fold line 15along the length of the collar cover 10 about which the collar cover 10is folded for installation onto the shirt 1, as will be described ingreater detail below.

In FIG. 3 , the interior side 14 of the collar cover 10 can be seen. Theinterior side 14 is preferably formed from a comfortable cloth materialthat is water resistant or water proof. The exterior side 12 and theinterior side 14 are sewn together to form the collar cover 10 with thefold line 15 extending along the central length thereof. The waterresistant or water proof material is positioned on the interior side 14of the attachable collar 10 to resist, repel and absorb dirt and sweatnormally absorbed by the cloth material of the shirt collar 5 therebyprotecting the shirt collar 5 from wear and tear.

The sleeve cuff covers 20 are shown in an unfolded state in FIGS. 2 and4 , and in a folded state in FIG. 6 . The sleeve cuff covers 20 areconstructed similarly to the collar covers 10 described above in thatthe exterior surface 22 is formed of a cloth material that matches orcoordinates with the shirt 1, while the interior surface 24 is a waterresistant or water proof material to resist, repel and absorb dirt andsweat normally absorbed by the cloth material of the sleeve cuff 8thereby protecting the sleeve cuff 8 from wear and tear. The sleeve cuffcovers 20 are formed with notches 27, which when the sleeve cuff cover20 is folded about the fold lie 25, as depicted in FIG. 6 , align withthe cuff button (not shown) on the sleeve cuff.

Both the shirt collar cover 10 and the sleeve cuff cover 20 are providedwith mounting devices 19, 29 incorporated into the material on theinterior side 14, 24 of the cover 10, 20. These mounting devices 19, 29can be sticky hook and loop fasteners, sew on, soft and flexible, hookand loop fasteners, tack on pins, double sided fabric tape, magnets orbuttons sewn onto appropriate locations on the shirt collar 5 and/orcuffs 20 for connection to the covers 10, 20. When the covers 10, 20 arefolded, as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the mounting devices 19, 29 willinterconnect through or to the material of the shirt collar 5, or sleevecuff 8 to secure the cover 10, 20 to the corresponding portions of theshirt 1.

As is best seen in FIGS. 9-11 , the shirt collar 5 and cuffs 8 can befitted with fastening devices 19, 29 that correspond to the fasteningdevices incorporated into the fabric of the collar cover 10 and the cuffcover 20. These devices 19, 29 on the shirt collar 5 and shirt cuffs 8can be the corresponding part of a hook and loop fastener device havingone half sewed onto, or affixed by adhesive unto, the collar cover10/cuff cover 20, and the opposing half sewed onto, or affixed byadhesive unto, the shirt collar 5/shirt cuffs 8 to be detachablyengagable together and secure the collar cover 10 and cuff covers 20into proper positioning on the dress shirt 1. Alternatively, thesefastening devices 19, 29 on both shirt collar 5/shirt cuffs 8 and collarcover 10/cuff covers 20 can be magnets that are mounted with opposingmagnetic poles facing each other when properly positioned, which wouldhold the collar cover 10 and cuff covers 20 in proper positions.

With the use of magnets as the fastening devices, magnets withsufficient magnetic strength can be utilized so that only the collarcover 10 or cuff covers 20 will need to have magnets attached as themagnetic attraction will pass through the material of the shirt collar 5or shirt cuffs 8 to secure the collar cover 10 or cuff covers 20 inplace. A further alternative fastening device utilizing magnets tosecure the collar cover 10 and cuff covers 20 to shirts would be to usea first set of four or more magnets secured to the cover 10, 20 asdescribed above, and to also provide a second set of loose magnetscorresponding to the four or more secured magnets. Once the collar cover10, as an example, is properly positioned on the shirt collar 5, a loosemagnet can be placed on the opposing side of the shirt from each of thesecured magnets to connect the collar cover 10 to the shirt collar 5.Because of the need to attach fastening devices to the shirt itself inorder to use certain types of fastening devices, such as hook and loopfasteners, the use of magnets attached as described above is thepreferred configuration of the fastening devices.

The collar cover 10 is attached to the main collar 5 of the shirt 1 overthe fold of the shirt collar 5 to provide a buffer between the wearer'sbody and the main collar 5. The collar cover 10 is sized to have a firstportion 16 overlapping the outside of the shirt collar 5 and a secondportion 17 that will extend around the interior of the shirt 1 from thefold of the shirt collar 5 to provide the buffer relative to the body ofthe wearer. Similarly, the sleeve cuff covers 20 are attached to thesleeve cuffs 8 over the terminal end of the sleeve cuff present anoutside portion 26 and an inside portion (not shown) that will provide abuffer between the wearer's body and the sleeve cuffs 8. Accordingly,the collar cover 10 and the sleeve cuff covers 20 will take the beatingand accumulation of dirt and oils that the main shirt collar 5 andsleeve cuffs 8 would normally absorb resulting in wear and tear on theshirt 1. When the collar cover 10 and the sleeve cuff covers 20 becomedirty, they can be simply detached from the shirt 1 and washed, savingthe shirt 1 from this wear and tear as well.

One set of collar covers 10 and sleeve cuff covers 20 can be used onmultiple shirts as a user will find fit and fashionable. In fact,different colors and patterns of collar covers 10 and sleeve cuff covers20 can be attachable to the shirt 1 at different times to transform thebasic shirt 1 into a different appearance by detaching and thensubstituting different covers 10, 20 with ease. Through utilization ofthe instant invention, dress shirts will last longer without requiringreplacement due to wear and tear. Once the covers 10, 20 are sufferingfrom wear and tear, replacement of the covers 10, 20 will be lessexpensive than replacing the entire shirt 1. The shirts may be worn morethan once before cleaning, particular dry cleaning, as the primary dirtyplaces on a shirt, i.e., the shirt collar 5 and the sleeve cuffs 8 areprotected by the covers 10, 20.

Accordingly, the use of the detachable collar cover 10 and sleeve cuffcover 20 will protect the shirt collar 5 and sleeve cuffs 8 from thedirt and sweat that can accumulate directly on the shirt collar 5 andsleeve cuffs 8. Instead, the dirt, sweat, water and oils are picked upby the detachable collar cover 10 and sleeve cuff covers 20, which canbe selectively detached, and hand washed or dry cleaned separately manytimes over.

It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps andarrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated toexplain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made bythose skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within theprinciples and scope of the invention. The foregoing descriptionillustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however,concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in otherembodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
 1. A shirtcollar cover mountable on a shirt collar comprising: an exterior sideformed of cloth material and an interior side formed of water resistantmaterial sewn together to form a body having a fold line extending alonga length dimension of said shirt collar cover, said fold line beingaligned with a fold in said shirt collar to position an outer portionover the shirt collar and an inner portion between the inside of theshirt collar and the wearer; and mounting devices detachably engagedbetween said shirt collar cover and said shirt collar to secure saidshirt collar cover to said shirt collar and to provide a buffer betweenthe wearer of the shirt and the shirt collar, said mounting devicesbeing disengageable to permit the selective removal of said shirt collarcover from said shirt collar.
 2. The shirt collar cover of claim 1wherein said mounting devices are incorporated into the interior side ofsaid shirt collar cover in opposing positions when the shirt collarcover is folded about said fold line.
 3. The shirt collar cover of claim2 wherein said mounting devices are hook and loop fasteners with onehalf of each said hook and loop fastener being affixed to the interiorside of said shirt collar cover and the opposing half of said hook andloop fastener being affixed to a corresponding location on said shirtcollar to properly locate said shirt collar cover on said shirt collar.4. The shirt collar cover of claim 2 wherein said mounting devices aremagnets.
 5. The shirt collar cover of claim 4 wherein said magnets aresecured to both said shirt collar cover and said shirt collar inappropriate locations to properly position said shirt collar cover onsaid shirt collar, said magnets on said shirt collar cover beingoriented in opposing configurations with respect to the magnets of saidshirt collar such that opposite magnetic poles of the respective magnetsface one another for attraction therebetween.
 6. The shirt collar coverof claim 4 wherein said magnets are only secured to the interior side ofsaid shirt collar cover with opposite magnetic poles being oriented inorder for the opposing magnets to be attracted to one another throughthe shirt collar when the collar cover is folded about said fold lineand installed over said shirt collar.
 7. The shirt collar cover of claim2 wherein said mounting devices are tack on pins that pass through theshirt collar cover and the enclosed portion of the shirt collar beneathsaid shirt collar cover.
 8. The shirt collar cover of claim 2 whereinthe exterior side of said shirt collar cover is formed from materialhaving a different color and/or different pattern than the material fromwhich said shirt is formed.
 9. A sleeve cuff cover mountable on thesleeve cuff of a shirt, comprising: an exterior side formed of clothmaterial and an interior side formed of water resistant material sewntogether to form a body having a fold line extending along a lengthdimension of said sleeve cuff cover, said fold line being aligned with aterminal end of said sleeve cuff and folded to position an outer portionover the sleeve cuff and an inner portion between the inside of thesleeve cuff and the wearer; and mounting devices detachably securingsaid sleeve cuff cover to said sleeve cuff to provide a buffer betweenthe wearer of the shirt and the sleeve cuff.
 10. The sleeve cuff coverof claim 9 wherein each said sleeve cuff cover is formed with opposingnotches on opposing ends of said sleeve cuff cover to permit passagearound a cuff button when said sleeve cuff cover is mounted on saidsleeve cuff.
 11. The sleeve cuff cover of claim 10 wherein said mountingdevices on said sleeve cuff covers are positioned at the opposing endsthereof adjacent said opposing notches.
 12. The sleeve cuff cover ofclaim 11 wherein said mounting devices are incorporated into theinterior side of said sleeve cuff cover in opposing positions when thesleeve cuff cover is folded about said fold line.
 13. The sleeve cuffcover of claim 12 wherein said mounting devices are hook and loopfasteners with one half of each said hook and loop fastener beingaffixed to the interior side of said sleeve cuff cover and the opposinghalf of said hook and loop fastener being affixed to a correspondinglocation on said sleeve cuff to properly locate said sleeve cuff coveron said sleeve cuff.
 14. The sleeve cuff cover of claim 13 wherein therespective halves of said mounting devices are sewn onto said sleevecuff cover and said sleeve cuff.
 15. The sleeve cuff cover of claim 12wherein said mounting devices are magnets.
 16. The sleeve cuff cover ofclaim 15 wherein said magnets are secured to both said sleeve cuff coverand said sleeve cuff in appropriate locations to properly position saidsleeve cuff cover on said sleeve cuff, said magnets on said sleeve cuffcover being oriented in opposing configurations with respect to themagnets of said sleeve cuff such that opposite magnetic poles of therespective magnets face one another for attraction therebetween.
 17. Thesleeve cuff cover of claim 15 wherein said magnets are only secured tothe interior side of said sleeve cuff cover with opposite magnetic polesbeing oriented in order for the opposing magnets to be attracted to oneanother through the sleeve cuff when the sleeve cuff cover is foldedabout said fold line and installed over said sleeve cuff.
 18. The sleevecuff cover of claim 12 wherein said mounting devices are tack on pinsthat pass through the sleeve cuff cover and the enclosed portion of thesleeve cuff beneath said sleeve cuff cover.
 19. The sleeve cuff cover ofclaim 12 wherein the exterior side of said sleeve cuff cover is formedfrom material having a different color and/or different pattern than thematerial from which said sleeve cuff is formed.